Facebook says aerospace, laser communications teams hit milestonesFacebook's Connectivity Lab team yesterday announced two milestones toward its goal to accelerate the development of a new set of technologies that can "drastically change the economics of deploying internet infrastructure." First, the team said "Aquila," the high-altitude, long-endurance aircraft designed by its aerospace team in the U.K., is now complete and ready for flight testing. "Aquila has the wingspan of a 737 but weighs hundreds of times less, thanks to its unique design and carbon-fiber frame. When deployed, it will be able to circle a remote region for up to 90 days, beaming connectivity down to people from an altitude of 60,000 to 90,000 feet," Facebook stated. Second, Facebook said its laser communications team achieved a "significant performance breakthrough," noting they’ve designed and lab-tested a laser that can deliver data at 10s of Gb per second, or approximately 10x faster than the previous state-of-the-art in the industry, to a target the size of a dime from more than 10 miles away. Facebook noted its team is now starting to test these lasers in real-world conditions. Reference Link

On The Fly: Top stock stories for ThursdayThe market began the session in negative territory following the release of second quarter GDP data below economists' estimates. Continuing this morning's slow start, the indexes churned in negative territory for the first half of the day before turning mixed near noon. The Dow and S&P generally lagged behind the Nasdaq, with the S&P narrowly edging into positive territory by session close. ECONOMIC EVENTS: In the U.S., gross domestic product was estimated to have grown at a 2.3% annualized rate in the second quarter, though expectations were for GDP growth of 2.7%. The government also upwardly revised its estimate of first quarter GDP growth to 0.6% from a prior estimate of 0.2% contraction in the period. Initial jobless claims rose 12,000 to 267,000 in the week ended July 25, which was a bit below the expected 270,000 first-time claims. COMPANY NEWS: Facebook (FB) reported earnings and revenues last night that topped expectations, but its shares slid $1.78, or 1.84%, to $95.21 as the social network's growth in daily averages users fell a bit short of the consensus forecast and may have missed the high, "whisper" expectations for its report... Shares of Whole Foods (WFM) sunk 11.61% to $36.08 and hit a 52-week low of $35.57 during the session after the company reported weaker than expected results and provided lower than expected profit guidance. Several analysts downgraded shares of the organic foods grocer in the wake of its quarterly report and outlook. MAJOR MOVERS: Among the notable gainers was T-Mobile (TMUS), which advanced $1.82, or 4.91%, to $38.86 after handily beating analyst estimates and raising its outlook for yearly net customer additions forecast. Also higher following their earnings reports were Mondelez (MDLZ) and WWE (WWE), gaining a respective 5.03% and 17.48%. Among the noteworthy losers was Stratasys (SSYS), which fell $3.82, or 10.47%, to $32.67 after the company rescinded its fiscal year guidance, citing a lack of visibility on growth in the market. The news built on continued fears of overcapacity in the sector, leading to session losses for numerous 3D printer stocks, including an 8.94% drop for peer 3D Systems (DDD). Also lower was Qorvo (QRVO), which declined $9.99, or 14.17%, to $60.49 after its second quarter guidance significantly trailed analyst estimates, after which the stock saw price target reductions from BMO and Brean. Additionally, LinnCo (LNCO) declined $1.83, or 29.33%, to $4.41 after parent company Linn Energy (LINE) announced plans to suspend dividends and reserve roughly $450M from annualized distributions, which saw Linn also slipping 26.32% to $4.76. INDEXES: The Dow fell 5.41, or 0.03%, to 17,745.98, the Nasdaq gained 17.05, or 0.33%, to 5,128.79, and the S&P 500 advanced 0.06, or 0.00%%, to 2,108.63.

Facebook price target raised to $115 following strong Q2 at Raymond JamesRaymond James raised Facebook's price target to $115 from $110 following the strong Q2 report. The firm said engagement trends remain solid and is encouraged by the continued strength in the core platform and monetization of new platforms. Raymond James rates shares an Outperform .

Earnings Watch: Analysts upbeat on Facebook revenue drivers ahead of Q2 reportFacebook (FB) is expected to report second quarter earnings after the market close on Wednesday, July 29 with a conference call scheduled for 5:00 pm ET. Facebook is a social networking service with over 1B active users. EXPECTATIONS: Analysts are looking for earnings per share of 47c on revenue of $3.99B. The consensus range is 39c-54c for EPS, and $3.66B-$4.22B for revenue, according to First Call. LAST QUARTER: Facebook reported first quarter EPS of 42c against estimates of 40c, on revenue of $3.54B against estimates of $3.56B. Facebook reported Q1 daily active users were up 17% to 936M and mobile daily active users were up 31% to 798M. Monthly active users were 1.44B as of March 31, 2015. The company said Instagram has more than 200M daily users. During its Q1 earnings conference call, Facebook said it expects Foreign Exchange headwinds in Q2 will be greater than Q1. It said it expects total payments and other fees revenue to decline year-over-year for the remainder of the year. NEWS: In the past quarter, Facebook introduced video calling and Moneypenny features to its Messenger service. It also announced the Internet.org platform and its Instant Articles for publishers. Re/code said Facebook may be mulling a Twitter (TWTR) acquisition, but Facebook declined to comment. A New York Times article said Facebook is in talks to insert music videos in feeds. Facebook also said there was no truth to a rumor that said it may launch a music streaming service. STREET RESEARCH: Most analyst firms in the past quarter gave positive recommendations on Facebook, citing strong revenue drivers from multiple sources, SunTrust said Facebook could get a significant revenue boost from its Instagram move and expects the Buy button could lift revenue 5%-10%. Piper Jaffray said Facebook’s multiple is expected to increase as investors become more aware of VR, adding that the company is the best play on the “next computer paradigm of virtual reality.” JMP Securities say Facebook is expected to continue its growth in ad share as Instagram engagement and monthly average users continue to grow. Ahead of the Q2 earnings report, ITG Research said Q2 revenue is tracking slight above consensus and BTIG expects Facebook to exceed consensus estimates due to higher confidence in video advertising opportunity. Brean Capital said Facebook will face ForEx headwinds in Q2, but quarterly results are less relevant as investors will be focused on the long-term goals. PRICE ACTION: Facebook shares have gained about 13% since the first day of trading following the company's Q1 report. In Wednesday afternoon trading ahead of its Q2 report, Facebook shares are up 0.5%

Facebook technical comments ahead of resultsOn the daily chart there is a potential bullish flag that has developed in the last two weeks. If the news is strongly bullish, the flag pattern would become active on a move above $96.50. Upside potential for the pattern, if it triggers and completes, is to the $110 to $112 area. If the news is instead a negative surprise, first established support would be at the $90 area. On a breakdown below $90, next support would be at the 50-day moving average at $86.16. If the 50-day is broken, next support is at $84.74. The $83 to $80 zone has been strong support over the prior year in the event of a larger negative surprise.

UBS says YouTube paid service could be $1B businessGoogle's (GOOG, GOOGL) revenue could increase by about $1B or more if it decides to offer a paid, ad free version of its YouTube website in the U.S., UBS wrote in a note to investors today. The firm made the estimate based on a survey it conducted of U.S. consumers. WHAT'S NEW: YouTube remains well-positioned to benefit from the growth of online video, UBS analyst Eric Sheridan stated. After UBS conducted a survey of U.S. adult consumers, Sheridan reported that the survey found that 27% of U.S. consumers would probably subscribe to a paid, ad free version of YouTube. According to Bloomberg, YouTube has decided to launch such a service in coming months. If only 5% of U.S. YouTube users buy subscriptions to the service, Google's revenue would rise by about $943M, Sheridan estimated. Following the survey, the analyst is more confident that Google will meet his revenue estimates, which exceed consensus levels. Specifically, he predicted that Google's revenue for the second half of 2015 would come in at $32.4B, versus the consensus outlook of $31.8B, while its 2016 revenue would be $72.2B, compared with the consensus estimate of $69.7B. Sheridan kept a $750 price target and Buy rating on the stock. WHAT'S NOTABLE: Other companies that are significantly exposed to online video include Netflix (NFLX), Facebook (FB) and AOL, which has been acquired by Verizon (VZ). PRICE ACTION: In morning trading, Google Class A shares were little changed at $657.55.

Facebook July weekly volatility elevated into Q2 and outlook Facebook July weekly call option implied volatility is at 109, August is at 52, September is at 41; compared to its 52-week range of 19 to 48, suggesting large near term price movement into the expected release of Q2 results on July 29.

Twitter, Facebook profitability gap 'vast,' Re/code reportsTwitter's (TWTR) recent stock stumble has created the appearance of a potential bargain compared with Facebook (FB), though in reality the difference in growth and profitability between the two companies is enormous, the Wall Street Journal reports. Analysts forecast Twitter posting negative $200M in EBITDA this year, with Facebook expected to post positive $8B, the report says. Reference Link

Facebook price target raised to $110 from $94 at CowenCowen analyst John Blackledge raised his price target for Facebook (FB) to $110 ahead of the social media giant's Q2 results on July 29. Investor sentiment has grown more positive recently given Facebook's "explosive" video growth and the opening of the Instagram platform to advertisers, Blackledge tells investors in a research note previewing the Q2 results this week for Internet names. He keeps an Outperform rating on the stock. Blackledge also keeps Outperform ratings on LinkedIn (LNKD) and IAC (IACI) as well as a Market Perform rating on Twitter (TWTR). Those three companies are also reporting Q2 results this week.

Facebook July weekly volatility elevated into Q2 and outlook Facebook August weekly call option implied volatility is at 87, August is at 50, September is at 41; compared to its 52-week range of 19 to 48, suggesting large near term price movement into the expected release of Q2 results on July 29.

Earnings Watch: TV networks report as streaming services gain groundCBS (CBS), Time Warner (TWX), Viacom (VIA, VIAB), and 21st Century Fox (FOX, FOXA) are among TV network companies expected to report quarterly results over the next several weeks, with Comcast (CMCSA, CMCSK) already having reported before the open on July 23. EXPECTATIONS: Time Warner is expected to report EPS of $1.03 on revenue of $6.9B, CBS is expected to report EPS of 73c on revenue of $3.22B, Viacom is expected to report EPS of $1.47 on revenue of $3.22B, and 21st Century Fox is expected to report EPS of 37c on revenue of $6.48B. LAST QUARTER: CBS, Time Warner, and Fox all reported stronger than expected Q1 results, while Viacom reported higher than expected Q2 EPS but missed on revenue. THIS WEEK'S EARNINGS: On the morning of July 23, Comcast reported Q2 EPS of 84c in line with estimates, and revenue of $18.7B versus expectations for $18.14B. Cable customer relationships for the quarter were up 31,000 to 27.3M, driven by increases in double and triple product relationships. During a subsequent conference call, the company noted that TV viewership continues to be under pressure. NEWS: At Re/code's Code Conference on May 27, CBS CEO Leslie Moonves remarked that his network will "probably" sign up for Apple's (AAPL) rumored TV service, and on June 3, CBS announced that its Showtime network will be offered over the internet as a stand-alone streaming service launching in early July for a monthly price of $10.99, with Apple as its first partner. On July 1, Variety quoted sources as saying Viacom was attempting to entice advertisers by offering to construct social-media and digital extensions of traditional TV ad campaigns as the company seeks to move away from Nielsen-based advertising sales. On July 8, the Wall Street Journal reported that Viacom's Paramount Pictures reached an agreement with AMC (AMC) to accelerate the home release of movies, noting that the company hoped to implement the quickened schedule for all new releases beginning later in the year. On July 17, Re/code reported that Viacom held talks to acquire e-commerce and media company Thrillist Media, according to sources. On June 17, 21st Century Fox named James Murdoch as CEO, with founder and former chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch appointed executive co-chairman alongside Lachlan Murdoch. The Telegraph reported on June 20 that Fox rejected offers for its stake in Sky (SKYAY) from Vodafone (VOD) and Vivendi (VIVHY), potentially signalling an interest in outright purchasing the rest of Sky, according to the report. More recently, the European Commission announced on July 23 that it delivered a statement of objections to Sky and various film studios owned by Comcast, Viacom, Fox, Time Warner, Disney (DIS), and Sony (SNE), discussing anti-trust concerns due to limitations on country-by-country availability of pay-TV services. STREET RESEARCH: On May 12, Pacific Crest said it believes Apple will launch its TV service before the end of the year, saying the move should benefit TV networks as well as Apple itself. On June 24, Brean Capital said Facebook's (FB) agreement with Time Warner to host premier episodes of certain upcoming shows was "a trend worth following," and possibly indicative of Facebook hosting additional TV content in the future. Also on June 24, FBR Capital contended that Netflix (NFLX) was on pace to have a larger 24-hour audience than all traditional broadcast networks, where ratings are seeing declines on average, according to the research firm. Those comments were followed by a July 10 note on Netflix from Morgan Stanley, saying the subscription streaming service was seeing higher time spent per day than any single broadcast network. Moving away from the Netflix factor, on July 10, JPMorgan said CBS shares looked "very attractive" following a recent selloff, though the company saw a downgrade on July 20 from Pivotal, which cited higher costs of capital among other factors. Finally, Citi upgraded Viacom on July 16 to Neutral, citing recent underperformance in the company's shares heading into earnings season.

Facebook July weekly volatility increasing into Q2 and outlook Facebook 7/31/15 weekly call option implied volatility is at 60, August is at 40, September is at 34; compared to its 52-week range of 19 to 48, suggesting large near term price movement into the expected release of Q2 results on July 29.

Sell PayPal amid mounting payments competition, Piper saysShares of PayPal (PYPL) advanced over 5% yesterday in the stock's first day of trading following a split from eBay (EBAY), with the majority of research firms issuing optimistic notes on its prospects. This morning, however, analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray recommends selling the share as competition grows in the digital payments space. BEARS: Munster started shares of PayPal with an Underweight rating, the firm's equivalent of a "Sell," saying increased competition could pressure the stock's multiple over the next 6-24 months. Google's (GOOG) Android Pay and Apple's (AAPL) Apple Pay will give consumers a "real alternative to PayPal" for the first time, Munster tells investors in his research note. In addition, interest in payments from Amazon.com (AMZN) and Facebook (FB) bring potential for more digital wallet offerings, the analyst notes. Munster set a $30 price target for PayPal. Of note, Evercore ISI also started coverage of PayPal shares yesterday with a Sell rating. BULLS: Wells Fargo initiated coverage of PayPal yesterday with an Outperform rating, saying the company's unique assets will enable it to maintain its leadership role in digital payments and benefit from the growth of e-commerce. Also upbeat was Robert W. Baird analyst Colin Sebastian, who contends that PayPal has the top pure play online payment system and is continuing to grow its share of the Internet payment market. PayPal should be able to innovate more effectively after its spin-off, added the analyst, who set a $45 price target on the shares. PRICE ACTION: Shares of PayPal are pointing toward further gains in their second day of standalone trading, with the stock up about 2.7% to $41.55 in pre-market trading.

PayPal initiated with an Underweight at Piper JaffrayPiper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster started shares of PayPal (PYPL) with an Underweight rating saying increased competition could pressure the stock's multiple over the next 6-24 months. Underweight is Piper's equivalent of a sell rating. Google's (GOOG) Android Pay and Apple's (AAPL) Apple Pay will give consumers a "real alternative to PayPal" for the first time, Munster tells investors in a research note. In addition, interest in payments from Amazon.com (AMZN) and Facebook (FB) bring potential for more digital wallet offerings, the analyst notes. Munster set a $30 price target for PayPal, which began trading yesterday following a spinoff from parent company eBay (EBAY). Shares of the online payment system closed Monday up $2.08 to $40.47.

Facebook July weekly volatility increasing into Q2 and outlook Facebook 7/31/15 weekly call option implied volatility is at 53, August is at 38, September is at 33; compared to its 52-week range of 19 to 48, suggesting large near term price movement into the expected release of Q2 results on July 29.

Facebook price target raised to $117 at BTIG on video opportunityBTIG analyst Richard Greenfield believes Facebook can exceed consensus estimates, citing higher confidence in the company's video advertising opportunity. Greenfield, who raised his revenue estimates for Facebook in this year and next, also points out Instagram's monetization opportunity and the platform potential of WhatsApp and Messenger. The analyst raised his price target on Facebook to $117 from a "stale" target of $80 that had been set in July of last year and reiterates a Buy rating on the social network's stock, which closed at $94.97 on Friday.